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I love chili! Probably partly because I like spicy food and I put a lot of kick into my chili. In our house, when Joanie and I were kids, chili was a staple and it was always homemade. Sometimes we would even make moose chili but that’s a whole other blog!

Over the years I’ve tried many different chili styles adding this or that, making it spicy or mild, or trying different meat or beans. I even made it cheesy a time or two, which essentially turned out to be a chili dip that went perfectly with nacho cheese Doritos! I finally perfected this chili on a crisp autumn evening up at our cabin in the mountains. I also recently used it to win a chili cook-off! One thing I would change in this recipe is I would fire roast all of the peppers to bring out all of the flavors in the different varieties. This one is a little spicy, fair warning. If you don’t want as much spice, omit the cayenne pepper and jalapeno. ~Janna

Sliders, the little brother to the burger. But just as flavorful and you don’t feel guilty having more than one! Not that I could eat more than one hamburger in one sitting but just the thought of being able to have two of these delightful little buggers makes me feel powerful! Like I can do anything I want, like have fries with it! No not really but they are very satisfying. This is my latest and best recipe for beef sliders. I usually use Hawaiian sweet rolls because they are sweet and fluffy. They provide a really good palate-pleasing flavor when combined with the salty, tangy and spiciness of the meat. This time however, I didn’t us Hawaiian sweet rolls, I used regular hamburger buns and used a canning jar ring as a cutter to cut them down to size. My husband says these are the best burgers he’s ever had, and that includes regular sized burgers. These are definitely kid friendly as well, even with the added jalapeno! Which is really amazing because my kids think ketchup is spicy!! ~Janna

Makes 10 sliders

Ingredients:

1 Lb lean ground beef (don’t go too lean, the fat is where the FLAVA is)!! I usually use
85/15 beef for burgers
6 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 1/2 oz finely shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese (you could also use pepper jack or really any shreddable, meltable cheese that you like) plus more if you want cheese on top of sliders.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mix the mixture around with your hands to fully integrate and disperse the ingredients.

Take some of the meat mixture and form a ball about the size of a golf ball, each ball of meat should be about 1.6 oz. You should get about 10 meat balls.

Heat an electric griddle or skillet to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the skillet is heated place the meat balls a couple inches apart, let cook for a few minutes (don’t flatten them yet), when browned on bottom, smash each meatball with a spatula and flip over to cook the other side. Cook until desired doneness.

When cooked through, add the remaining shredded cheese (this part is optional). Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Scrape grease off griddle and place buns on to warm them (or you can just toast them). Top your sliders with whatever condiments you like and enjoy!

A few years ago I started on a mission to discover new fruits and vegetables. Each week, I would peruse the unique displays of produce, selecting varieties that I had never before eaten or cooked with. Eventually, I discovered the jícama and it is now on my list of favorites.

Jícama is a root vegetable of Mexican origin, also known as the Mexican Yam or Mexican Turnip. It has a crunchy texture, much like an apple, but a very mild, earthy flavor. This particular recipe is a spicy, savory one, but jícama effortlessly combines with fresh fruit as well.

This recipe is not entirely original. After googling various recipes I found this recipe for Spicy Thai Jícama Salad. Although that original recipe was delicious, I made a few alterations and substitutions to fit my own taste, and what I had in the cupboard at the time.

In a large bowl, combine Jicama, onion, cilantro, jalapeno. Toss together and set aside.

In another bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients until well incorporated. If it looks too thick, add some olive oil until you reach desired consistency. You should end up with about 1 cup of dressing.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve chilled, and finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a pinch of your favorite Old City Salt blend.

*This salad keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days, just give it a toss before serving as the dressing tends to pool at the bottom.

What’s in a name? There’s a 2-part story as to how this recipe got its name. Fresh, homemade salsa is one of the first foods that I started experimenting with. I thought my original recipe was pretty good, using fresh (un-roasted) tomatoes. Then my niece, Sophia, came back from almost a year in Guatemala and introduced me to their way of making salsa: roasting it. Since then, I have roasted my salsa ingredients, both in the oven and on the grill, and it tastes amazing.

The second part of my story is this: A couple years ago, Sophie and I were making salsa together. Actually, I was making it, and she was hanging out. =) Once it was finished, we had about ½ gallon of red, spicy salsa. It was beautiful. After the salsa chilled for a bit, Sophie decided she wanted to have some with tortilla chips. She pulled that big bowl out of the fridge….and dropped it on the floor. NOOO! All of that time, energy, and those beautiful tomatoes and peppers all over the floor! Here’s the best part…I’m not sure if I’m allowed to tell you this, but she actually scooped a lot of it off the floor and ate it. Don’t kill me, Sophie!

Since Sophie improved my salsa and provided me with a cringe-worthy story, she will be forever associated with this recipe, hence the name.

Ingredients:
(Think of these ingredients as more of a guideline and feel free to experiment.)

Wash tomatoes and peppers. If grilling, arrange them directly on the grill rack. Oven users, arrange on a cookie sheet or other oven safe vessel. Make sure they have plenty of room to roast and do not stack.

Allow to roast 15-30 minutes or until skin is blistered, TURNING THEM ABOUT EVERY 5 MINUTES. The turning is especially imperative for grill users. A little char is okay, but you don’t want blackened produce. You may want to rotate them to get an even roast, but be careful not to squeeze any of the juice out of the tomatoes!

Once roasting is finished, ALLOW PRODUCE TO COOL COMPLETELY before handling. When they are cool, carefully peel off the outer membrane. For the peppers: cut them open and scrape out all the seeds. You may choose to use rubber gloves for this step. Cut into large chunks, toss them all into the blender with the garlic, and pulse until your desired consistency is reached.

Dump the tomato mixture into a bowl, add remaining ingredients, salt to taste, and devour.